JP6661331B2 - Expansion / contraction device and elevating device provided with the expansion / contraction device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an expansion / contraction device provided with an expansion / contraction member that expands when a fluid is filled into the interior and contracts when the fluid is discharged from the interior, and a lifting / lowering device including the expansion / contraction device.

  An expansion / contraction device that expands and contracts by being filled with a fluid and expanding and contracting when the fluid is discharged, and that performs expansion and contraction by using a pressure change or a volume change of the expansion / contraction member. Are known.

  As an example of such an expansion / contraction device, for example, a bathing assistance device described in Patent Literature 1 that uses expansion / contraction movement as expansion / contraction drive is exemplified. In this bathing assist device, a fluid such as air or water is introduced into a fluid pressure bag (expansion / contraction member) to raise an elevating plate fixed to an upper end of the fluid pressure bag, and the liquid such as air or water is removed. The lift plate is lowered by extracting the lift plate from the fluid pressure bag.

JP-A-11-76355

  In the bathing assistance device described above, if the amount of fluid such as air or water introduced into the inside of the fluid pressure bag as the expansion / contraction member exceeds a certain amount, the fluid pressure bag may be damaged or the fluid may be discharged. This may cause a failure of the supply mechanism. However, in order to suppress such excessive inflation, the provision of a pressure gauge that measures the pressure of the fluid pressure bag and a control unit that controls the flow rate of the fluid based on the numerical value of the pressure gauge complicates the device configuration. Become.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an expansion / contraction device having a simple configuration and capable of suppressing the amount of fluid inside an expansion / contraction member from exceeding a certain amount, and an elevation device provided with the expansion / contraction device.

  The expansion / contraction device according to the present invention includes an expansion / contraction member capable of changing between expansion and contraction by filling and discharging a fluid into the interior, and connecting the expansion / contraction member to the interior of the expansion / contraction member. And a filling amount regulating mechanism that regulates the supply of the fluid to the expanding and contracting member when the expanding and contracting member enters a predetermined inflated state, The filling amount regulating mechanism includes a discharge member attached to the flow pipe, and a moving member that moves with a change in the volume of the expansion / contraction member, and the discharge member moves the fluid in the flow pipe through the discharge pipe. A discharge unit capable of being discharged to the outside of the flow pipe, and a switching unit capable of switching between a discharge state in which fluid is discharged from the discharge unit and a closed state in which the discharge unit is closed, the moving member includes: Activating the switching unit when the expansion and contraction member is in a predetermined expansion state. Wherein the discharge portion and the discharge state, and wherein said discharge portion by releasing the operation of the switching unit to said closed state when the predetermined expanded state of the expansion and contraction member is released.

  In addition, an elevating device of the present invention is an elevating device that includes the above-described expansion / contraction device, and that raises / lowers an object to be raised / lowered by expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction member. A load support portion, a support member extending in the elevating direction, and a vertical movement of the expansion / contraction member by moving up and down with expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction member and sliding along the support member. And a guide member for guiding.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the expansion / contraction apparatus of this invention, and the raising / lowering apparatus provided with this expansion / contraction apparatus, it can suppress that the amount of fluid inside an expansion / contraction member exceeds a fixed amount with a simple structure.

It is the schematic which shows the contracted state of the expansion-contraction apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the expansion state of the expansion-contraction apparatus of FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the lifting device of FIG. 3, schematically illustrating a state where a seating portion and a guide member are lowered. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the seating portion and the guide member are raised and the expansion / contraction member is expanded to a predetermined expansion state in the elevating device shown in FIG. 4. It is a schematic diagram of a filling amount regulation mechanism which shows the state where the seating part and the guide member of the elevating device were at the predetermined ascending position and the switching unit was closed. It is a schematic diagram of a filling amount regulation mechanism showing a state where the expansion and contraction member of the elevating device is in a predetermined expanded state and the switching unit is operated to be in a discharge state. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a filling amount regulating mechanism showing a state in which a manual member of the elevating device is operated and a switching unit is in a discharging state. It is the schematic which shows the process in which the seat part descend | falls when a manual member of a raising / lowering apparatus is operated, a switching part is in a discharge state, and water is discharged from a discharge part.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an expansion / contraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a lifting / lowering device including the expansion / contraction device will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an expansion / contraction device 1 of the present embodiment includes an expansion / contraction member 2 capable of changing between expansion and contraction by filling and discharging a fluid into the interior, and an expansion / contraction member. 2, a flow pipe 3 for supplying a fluid to the inside of the expansion / contraction member 2, and a filling amount for restricting the supply of the fluid to the expansion / contraction member 2 when the expansion / contraction member 2 enters a predetermined expansion state. A regulating mechanism 4.

  The expansion / contraction device 1 fills the inside of the expansion / contraction member 2 with a fluid to expand the expansion / contraction member 2, discharges the fluid from the expansion / contraction member 2, and contracts the expansion / contraction member 2. (See FIG. 3). The expansion / contraction device 1 is, for example, an elevating device (see FIG. 3) that moves up and down when the expansion / contraction member 2 of the expansion / contraction device 1 expands and contracts (hereinafter, expansion and contraction may be simply referred to as expansion / contraction). ), But the application of the expansion / contraction device 1 is not limited to the lifting device. For example, the expansion / contraction device 1 can be applied to various driving devices other than elevating (for example, moving in the horizontal direction) driven by the expansion / contraction of the expansion / contraction member 2, such as a massager and a shock absorber. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to an expansion / contraction mechanism that operates by expanding / contracting an expansion / contraction member with a fluid such as water or air.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the expansion / contraction member 2 has a filling portion F that can be filled with a fluid, and is inflated by supplying a fluid into the filling portion F (see FIG. 2). Is a deformable member that is in a contracted state (see FIG. 1) when the fluid is discharged from the filling portion F. The expansion / contraction member 2 has a filling portion F therein, and is formed to be capable of expansion / contraction operation by reversible deformation between an expanded state and a contracted state. The material of the expansion / contraction member 2 is not particularly limited. For example, the expansion / contraction member 2 can be formed of an elastic material such as rubber or elastic synthetic resin.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the expansion / contraction member 2 is formed as a hollow substantially cylindrical body having a filling portion F therein. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, ridges M and valleys V that can expand and contract in the axis X direction of the expansion / contraction member 2 are formed alternately continuously in the axis X direction. The bellows 21 is provided. In the present embodiment, the expansion / contraction member 2 is provided at one end side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the bellows portion 21 in the axis X direction, at one end side closing portion 22, and at the other end side of the bellows portion 2 in the axis X direction ( The upper end (in FIG. 1) includes a second end side closing portion 23. In this embodiment, both ends of the bellows portion 21 are closed by the one end side closing portion 22 and the other end side closing portion 23, and define a filling portion F which is an internal space of the bellows portion 21.

  In the present embodiment, the bellows portion 21 expands and contracts due to the filling and discharging of the fluid into and from the filling portion F, and the length of the expansion / contraction member 2 in the axis X direction changes. To move. In the elevating device to be described later, the expansion / contraction member 2 performs an expansion / contraction operation in a substantially vertical direction to raise / lower the load supporting portion S, but the expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction member 2 is not limited to a substantially vertical direction. For example, the expansion / contraction member 2 may perform an expansion / contraction operation in a substantially horizontal direction, or may perform an expansion / contraction operation in a vertical direction or a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Further, the expansion / contraction member 2 only needs to be able to move the driven object by at least one dimension change by expansion / contraction. For example, the expansion / contraction member 2 expands and contracts in a plurality of directions such as both the X direction and the radial direction. It may be one that performs compression. The configuration of the expansion / contraction member 2 may be any as long as it has a filling portion F and can be expanded / contracted so as to be accompanied by a dimensional change in at least one direction. Instead, for example, it may be a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially spherical shape, an oval shape or the like having no bellows portion 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the expansion / contraction device 1 of the present embodiment is connected to a fluid supply mechanism WF that supplies a fluid to the expansion / contraction member 2, and is inflated by a fluid supplied from the fluid supply mechanism WF. The expansion / contraction operation of the compression member 2 is performed. The fluid supply mechanism WF is not particularly limited as long as it can supply a fluid to the expansion / contraction member 2. For example, as a fluid supply mechanism WF, a water supply faucet or a fluid supply Pumps, compressors and the like can be used. The fluid supplied to the expansion / contraction member 2 is not particularly limited, and may be any fluid having fluidity such as water, a liquid other than water, or a gas such as air.

  In the present embodiment, the fluid supplied from the fluid supply mechanism WF is supplied to the expansion / contraction member 2 via the flow pipe 3. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one end of the flow pipe 3 is directly or indirectly connected to the fluid supply mechanism WF, and the other end of the flow pipe 3 is Connected directly or indirectly to the side. More specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the other end of the flow pipe 3 is connected to one end side closing portion 22 of the expansion / contraction member 2 via the flow port P, The fluid that has flowed into the flow pipe 3 from the fluid supply mechanism WF is supplied to the filling section F via the flow port P provided in the one end side closing section 22. In this embodiment, the one end side closing part 22 and the other end side closing part 23 are shown as separate members from the bellows part 21, but one or both of the one end side closing part 22 and the other end side closing part 23 are shown. May be formed integrally with the bellows portion 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when fluid is supplied from the fluid supply mechanism WF to the filling portion F of the expansion / contraction member 2, the expansion / contraction member 2 expands (see FIG. 2), and the fluid is supplied from the filling portion F to the fluid. Is discharged, the expansion / contraction member 2 contracts (see FIG. 1). The method of discharging the fluid from the filling portion F of the expansion / contraction member 2 is not particularly limited. For example, a discharge plug or the like may be provided on the outer surface of the one end side closing portion 22 of the expansion / contraction member 2, Alternatively, a switching valve (not shown) is provided in the middle of the flow pipe 3 separately from a valve portion SV described later, so that the switching valve can be switched between when the fluid flows in and when the fluid is discharged, and the fluid is discharged. No problem. As will be described in detail later, the fluid in the expansion / contraction member 2 is discharged by the discharge member 41 attached to the distribution pipe 3 without providing a separate discharge plug or valve in the expansion / contraction member 2 or the distribution pipe 3. You may do so. In this case, the device configuration is not complicated, and the number of parts can be reduced. Alternatively, the flow pipe 3 may be detachably connected to a water tap, and the discharge from the fluid may be performed by disconnecting the flow pipe 3.

  In the present embodiment, the distribution port P provided in the expansion / contraction member 2 is exemplified as one port capable of supplying and discharging a fluid. However, the distribution port P is, for example, two or more (for example, an inflow port). (An inflow port and a discharge port for discharge). Further, the position at which the distribution port P is provided is not limited to the one end side closing part 22, but may be provided at the other end side closing part 23 or may be provided at another part. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flow pipe 3 is composed of a plurality of flow pipes 31 and 32 connected by a joint J. However, the flow pipe 3 only needs to be able to feed the fluid supplied by the fluid supply mechanism WF to the expansion / contraction member 2. The number of the flow pipes 3 and the connection structure of the flow pipe 3 such as the joint J are not limited. There is no particular limitation.

  When the expansion / contraction member 2 expands beyond a predetermined volume, such as a predetermined height or size, the expansion / contraction member 2 expands / contracts. This is a mechanism for restricting the supply of an excessive fluid into the member 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the filling amount regulating mechanism 4 includes a discharge member 41 attached to the flow pipe 3 and a moving member 42 that moves according to a change in the volume of the expansion / contraction member 2. ing.

  The discharge member 41 is a member capable of discharging the fluid from the flow pipe 3 so that the fluid passing through the flow pipe 3 does not excessively flow into the expansion / contraction member 2. The discharge member 41 is connected to the flow pipe 3 so that the fluid in the flow pipe 3 can be discharged to the outside as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The connection method between the flow pipe 3 and the discharge member 41 is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a connection portion J connecting the two flow pipes 31 and 32 is provided. Thus, the inside of the flow pipe 3 and the inside of the discharge member 41 are fluidly connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the discharge member 41 includes a discharge part 41 a capable of discharging the fluid in the flow pipe 3 to the outside of the flow pipe 3, a discharge state in which the fluid is discharged from the discharge part 41 a, and a discharge state. A switching unit 41b capable of switching a closed state in which the unit 41a is closed. More specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the discharge member 41 connects the inflow port I into which the fluid from the flow pipe 3 flows and the internal space communicating with the inflow port I. A switching chamber 41c provided therein and provided with a switching unit 41b, a discharging unit 41a that is openably and closably communicated with the internal space in the switching chamber 41c by the switching unit 41b, and a discharging unit provided at an end of the discharging unit 41a. An outlet D is provided. The internal space of the switching chamber 41c and the inside of the discharge unit 41a are communicated with each other through the communication port C, but are closed by the switching unit 41b (for example, a valve unit SV described later) in FIG. .

  The discharge part 41a is a part for discharging the fluid flowing from the flow pipe 3 to the discharge member 41 side to the outside. The structure of the discharge portion 41a is not particularly limited as long as the fluid in the flow pipe 3 can be discharged to the outside. For example, as shown in an embodiment described later, a tubular member such as a hose is directly or indirectly connected thereto. The outlet D may be formed without interposing a tubular member such as a hose.

  The moving member 42 is directly or indirectly connected to the expansion / contraction member 2, and moves in conjunction with the expansion / contraction member 2 with a change in volume according to expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction member 2. The moving member 42 operates the switching unit 41b when the expansion / contraction member 2 is in the predetermined expansion state to put the discharge unit 41a in the discharge state, and switches when the predetermined expansion state of the expansion / contraction member 2 is released. The operation of the part 41b is released to put the discharge part 41a in the closed state. Here, the “predetermined inflation state” refers to, for example, a predetermined inflation state, such as an inflation state of the inflatable member 2 at which supply of fluid to the inside of the inflatable member 2 is to be stopped, which is determined by design or the like. It refers to any expansion state that exceeds the preset expansion state. The predetermined expansion state is appropriately set according to the material and size of the expansion / contraction member 2, the moving range of the moving member, and the like.

  The moving member 42 is configured to move to an operating position (see FIG. 2) where the switching unit 41b can be operated when the expansion / contraction member 2 is in a predetermined expansion state. In addition, when the expansion / contraction member 2 contracts from the predetermined expansion state and the predetermined expansion state is released, the moving member 42 moves from the operating position to the non-operating position and releases the operation of the switching unit 41b. . In the present embodiment, the operating position refers to the position of the moving member 42 when the switching unit 41b is operated after the moving member 42 contacts the switching unit 41b. The position of the moving member 42 when the switching unit 41b is not operated, such as when the switching unit 41b is not in contact with the unit 41b.

  The shape of the moving member 42 is not particularly limited as long as the switching portion 41b can be operated. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moving member 42 may be formed in a plate shape, may be cylindrical like a guide member in an embodiment described later, and may be other. The shape may be as follows. The moving member 42 may be provided integrally with the expansion / contraction member 2 (the other end side closing portion 23) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or as in an embodiment described later. It may be provided separately from the expansion / contraction member 2.

  The switching unit 41b opens and closes a flow path (for example, the communication port C in FIGS. 1 and 2) between the distribution pipe 3 and the discharge unit 41a. More specifically, when the switching unit 41b is operated by the moving member 42, the communication port C is opened so that the fluid is discharged from the discharging unit 41a (for example, see FIG. 2). When the operation of the switching unit 41b by the switch 42 is released, the communication port C is closed, so that the fluid is not discharged to the discharge unit 41a side (for example, see FIG. 1).

  The structure of the switching unit 41b is not particularly limited as long as the switching between the above-described discharge state and the closed state can be performed. In the present embodiment, the switching unit 41b moves as shown in FIGS. An operation unit L operated by the member 42 and a valve unit SV that is opened and closed by the operation unit L are provided. When the switching unit 41b includes the operation unit L and the valve unit SV, the above-described discharge state and the closed state can be realized with a simple configuration. The operation unit L can be operated by the moving member 42, and only needs to be able to operate the valve unit SV so that the discharge unit 41a is in the discharged state when operated by the moving member 42. Is not particularly limited. Further, in the present embodiment, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation unit L is shown as being capable of swinging about the rotation axis Ax. Other operations, for example, an operation such as a linear movement may be configured. The shape and structure of the valve portion SV are not limited as long as it can be opened and closed by the operation portion L, and any known valve can be used. In the present embodiment, the switching unit 41b is configured such that when the switching unit 41b is not operated, the communication port C is always closed in order to prevent the fluid from flowing to the discharge unit 41a. ing. This closed state can be realized by, for example, structuring a member that closes the communication port C such as the valve portion SV in a direction to close the communication port C by a biasing means such as a spring. it can.

  1 and 2, the switching unit 41b is provided such that at least a part (for example, the operation unit L) of the switching unit 41b is located on the movement locus of the moving member 42. Is moved by the moving member 42 when the is moved to the operating position shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the switching section 41b is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the moving member 42 when the above-described expansion / contraction member 2 is in a predetermined expansion state. In this embodiment, the moving member 42 is provided on the upper end side of the expansion / contraction member 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the switching portion 41 b is also located on the side on the upper end side of the expansion / contraction member 2 when in the expanded state. Although it is located, the positions of the moving member 42 and the switching unit 41b are not particularly limited as long as the switching unit 41b is operated by the moving member 42 in a predetermined inflated state. For example, the moving member 42 is provided at the center of the expansion / contraction member 2 in the expansion / contraction direction (the direction of the axis X), and the switching portion 41b is located at a position corresponding to the center of the expansion / contraction member 2 in a predetermined expansion state. May be provided. In the present embodiment, when the expansion / contraction member 2 performs the expansion / contraction operation, the switching unit 41b itself is held at a predetermined position (to prevent the switching unit 41b from moving in the expansion / contraction direction). The switching unit is attached to a mounting unit (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

  As described above, in the expansion and contraction device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moving member 42 operates the switching unit 41 b when the expansion and contraction member 2 is in the predetermined expanded state. Then, when the predetermined expansion state of the expansion / contraction member 2 is released, the operation of the switching unit 41b is released and the discharge unit 41a is closed. Thus, the expansion / contraction device 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the amount of fluid inside the expansion / contraction member 2 from exceeding a certain amount with a simple configuration. More specifically, when fluid is supplied from the flow pipe 3 to the inside of the contracted and expanded member 2 shown in FIG. 1 and the expanded and contracted member 2 expands, the moving member 42 moves in the direction in which the expanded and contracted member 2 expands. Move along. Although the details will be described later, the expansion / contraction member 2 expands due to the supply of the fluid to the expansion / contraction member 2, and as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the moving member 42 that moves together with the moving member 42 moves to the operating position and operates the switching unit 41b. When the switching unit 41b operates, the communication port C is opened as shown in FIG. 2 and the discharge unit 41a is in a discharge state, and the fluid in the flow pipe 3 flows through the flow path from the discharge unit 41a to the outside. The fluid can be discharged from the discharge port D to the outside. Thus, after the expansion / contraction member 2 enters the predetermined expansion state, even if the fluid is continuously supplied from the fluid supply mechanism WF to the expansion / contraction member 2, the fluid in the flow pipe 3 is discharged to the discharge portion 41a. It is discharged to the outside via. Therefore, the supply of an excessive amount of fluid to the inside of the expansion / contraction member 2 is suppressed, and the plastic deformation or breakage of the expansion / contraction member 2 due to the excessive amount of fluid is suppressed. Further, a joint between the members (for example, a joint between the bellows portion 21 and one end and the other end side closing portions 22, 23, a joint between the flow pipe 3 and the joint J, a flow pipe The joint between the flow port 3 and the flow port P and the joint between the flow pipe 3 and the fluid supply mechanism WF are prevented from being damaged. Furthermore, in the expansion / contraction device 1 of the present embodiment, the fluid is discharged to the outside based on the position of the moving member 42 after the expansion of the expansion / contraction member 2 instead of the pressure of the expansion / contraction member 2. No need for a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of No. 2 or a control unit for controlling the flow rate based on the measured value of the pressure gauge. Therefore, the device configuration is simplified, and the expansion and contraction device can be manufactured at low cost. After the supply of an excessive amount of fluid to the inside of the expansion / contraction member 2 is suppressed by the switching of the switching unit 41b, the expansion state of the expansion / contraction member 2 can be maintained by stopping the supply of the fluid itself. However, when a predetermined expansion state is achieved, the amount of fluid supplied and the amount of fluid discharged can be configured to be the same, and the position of the load support portion S described later can be maintained. Further, the filling amount regulating mechanism 4 may be configured such that when a predetermined expansion state is established, the amount of supplied fluid is proportional to the amount of discharged fluid.

  Next, an embodiment in which the above-described expansion / contraction device 1 is applied to an elevating device installed in a bathtub will be described with reference to FIGS. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the expansion and contraction device of the present invention and the lifting and lowering device of the present invention are not limited to the lifting and lowering device installed in the bathtub, and are not limited to the expansion and contraction for other uses. It can be applied to devices and lifting devices. In addition, each configuration described below can be applied not only to the lifting / lowering device but also to the above-described expansion / contraction device.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting device A includes an expansion / contraction device 1 and raises / lowers an object to be raised / lowered by expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction member 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the expansion / contraction member 2 is installed in the bathtub Ba so as to expand and contract along the wall portion W of the bathtub Ba. By configuring the expansion and contraction member 2 to expand and contract, the expansion and contraction member 2 becomes more compact when contracted than in the case where the expansion and contraction member also expands in the left and right directions in the drawing, and the lifting device A can save space. it can. Further, the amount of fluid to be supplied to the expansion / contraction member 2 can be reduced as compared with the case where the expansion / contraction member expands in the left-right direction in the figure, and the adjustment of the pressure of the expansion / contraction member 2 becomes easier. Here, the expansion and contraction member 2 expands and contracts along the wall portion W of the bathtub Ba, in which a seating portion S described later does not greatly differ from the direction in which the wall portion W of the bathtub Ba extends, and is in contact with the bottom surface side of the bathtub Ba. This means that the expansion and contraction member 2 expands and contracts so as to move between the water surface side, and is not limited to the case where the expansion and contraction member 2 expands and contracts in parallel with the wall portion W.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the lifting device A of this embodiment further includes a mounting member 5 for mounting the lifting device A on the edge E of the bathtub Ba. The flow pipe 3 is connected to a water tap (hereinafter, simply referred to as a tap WF) serving as a fluid supply mechanism WF for supplying water. As shown in FIG. 3 in this embodiment, the mounting member 5 is attached to the edge E of the bathtub Ba so as to be locked, and the lifting device A is placed in the bathtub Ba. Suppress movement. The mounting member 5 may have another structure as long as the lifting device A is attached to the bathtub Ba to suppress the movement of the lifting device A.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lifting device A includes a load support portion S that rises due to expansion of the expansion / contraction member 2 and falls by contraction, a support member 6 extending in the vertical direction, and an expansion device. A guide member (hereinafter, simply referred to as a guide member 42) that moves up and down with the expansion and contraction of the contraction member 2 and slides along the support member 6 to guide the vertical movement of the expansion and contraction member 2. Have.

  The load supporting portion S is a portion that supports an object to be lifted and lowered by the lifting device A. In this embodiment, the object to be raised and lowered supported by the load supporting portion S is a user who bathes in the bathtub Ba, and the load supporting portion S is a seating portion on which the user can sit on the upper part of the expansion / contraction member 2. (Hereinafter, the load supporting portion S is also referred to as a seating portion S). In addition, when the elevating device A is, for example, an elevating device other than the elevating device A installed in the bathtub Ba, the elevating object may be an object such as luggage, and the object supported by the load supporting unit S is: It is not limited to people.

  Although the seating portion S is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the upper end side closing portion corresponding to the above-mentioned other end side closing portion (hereinafter, referred to as the upper end side closing portion 23) covers the upper end side of the expansion / contraction member 2. It is rotatably attached to. Thereby, the user is positioned in the bathtub Ba and the direction in which the user faces from the posture when the user sits on the seating portion S from the edge E of the bathtub Ba, and the direction in which the user faces is the length of the edge E. The bathing posture can be easily changed to a direction parallel to the direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a handle H1 and a backrest H2 are provided around the seating portion S. The handle H1 is provided for a user sitting on the seating portion S to hold the seat for maintaining a posture or the like, and restricts a user who is taking a bath from moving forward. In addition, the backrest H2 functions as a backrest while suppressing backward movement and fall of the user during bathing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end side closing portion 23 has an arm Ar extending from the upper end side closing portion 23 toward the support member 6, and the arm Ar is connected to the support member 6 via the guide member 42. Are linked. The arm Ar is provided so as to extend in the horizontal direction of the expansion / contraction member 2 so as to sandwich the expansion / contraction member 2, and a guide member 42 is provided at one end. The guide member 42 is slidably fitted to the support member 6. Thus, the expansion / contraction member 2 is stably moved up and down along the support member 6 while the elevating and lowering movement of the bellows portion 21 and the upper end side closing portion 23 is guided according to the expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction member 2. In addition, the lower end side closing part 22 corresponding to the above-mentioned one end side closing part is arranged on the bottom surface of the bathtub Ba.

  The support member 6 guides the expansion / contraction member 2 in the elevating direction when the expansion / contraction member 2 moves up and down, and supports the seating portion S so as not to swing in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, two rod-shaped support members 6 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 and the like) are shown, but a force having a horizontal component is applied to the expansion / contraction member 2. In this case, another structure may be used as long as it can support the horizontal component force via the arm Ar and can support the elevating device A that moves up and down. The support member 6 extends in parallel with the elevating direction of the expansion / contraction member 2, and in this embodiment, the expansion / contraction member 2 is located above the wall W (for example, the edge E) from the installation position of the bottom surface of the bathtub Ba. Extending in a direction parallel to the direction toward.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a water tap WF serving as a fluid supply mechanism is connected to the flow pipe 3, and the flow pipe 3 is provided between the tap WF and the expansion / contraction member 2. Extend to supply water through a distribution port P provided in the lower end side closing portion 22 in the expansion / contraction member 2. The flow pipe 3 may constitute a fluid flow path between the faucet WF and the joint J via a tank. The first flow pipe 31 extends from the tap WF to the joint J, and the second flow pipe 32 extends from the joint J toward the lower end side closing part 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in addition to the flow pipe 3, a switching part 41 b of the discharge member 41 is connected to the joint part J. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the switching unit 41b is provided with an operation unit L operated by a guide member 42 serving as a moving member and a valve unit SV. The operation unit L is attached to a switching unit attachment unit 51 (see FIG. 3) connected to the attachment member 5 of the lifting / lowering device A so as to be swingable around the rotation axis Ax. The valve portion SV is provided in the switching chamber 41c as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and when the expansion / contraction member 2 is contracted from the above-described predetermined expansion state, the valve SP is discharged from the switching chamber 41c by the spring SP. The communication port C is urged toward the communication port C with the portion 41a to close the communication port C (see FIG. 6). In the present embodiment, the discharge portion 41a connected to the switching chamber 41c is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a portion to which a tubular member such as a hose extending from the switching portion 41b toward the outside of the bathtub Ba is connected. In addition, outside the bathtub Ba, the water can be drained from a discharge port D provided at an end of the discharge part 41a. The operation unit L may be directly or indirectly attached to the bathtub Ba without being connected to the attachment member 5 of the lifting device A.

  In this embodiment, the operation unit L is disposed so as to be located on the side of the upper end side of the support member 6 as shown in FIGS. The operation unit L is movable between a closed position where the valve SV closes the communication port C and a release position where the valve SV releases the communication port C, and is operated by the moving member 42. And configured to move between a closed position and a released position. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation unit L protrudes toward the movement trajectory of the guide member 42, the expansion and contraction member 2 enters a predetermined inflated state, and the guide member 42 rises to the above-described operation position. When the contact portion L1 is operated by contacting the upper end of the guide member 42, and when the contact portion L1 is operated by contacting the upper end of the guide member 42, the displacement is caused by the displacement of the contact portion L1. , A valve operating portion L2 connected to the valve portion SV for operating the valve portion SV such that the switching portion 41b is in the discharging state. The contact portion L1 and the valve operating portion L2 protrude from the rotation axis Ax in an arm shape and extend. In the present embodiment, the operation unit L has a manual member abutting portion L3 operated by a manual member 7 described later. In the present embodiment, the shape of the operation unit L is a shape in which three arms extend in a substantially Y-shape from the rotation axis Ax around the rotation axis Ax. The shape of the operation unit is not particularly limited, and may be any shape as long as the moving member can operate the switching unit when the expansion / contraction member expands to the operating position.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, a manual member 7 that can manually switch the switching unit 41b is provided. Although the manual member 7 is optional, the state of discharging the fluid can be set before the expansion and contraction member 2 reaches the predetermined expansion state, so that the state of filling the fluid can be controlled according to the situation. In this embodiment, the manual member 7 is configured to operate the valve portion SV in conjunction with the operation portion L of the switching portion 41b. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the manual member 7 includes a lever 71 that is operated during manual operation and a manual member contact portion L3 of the operation unit L that is operated when the lever 71 is operated. And a projection 72 for rotating the operation unit L in contact therewith. Note that the manual member 7 may be provided integrally with the operation unit L. The operation of the operation unit L and the manual member 7 will be described later.

  Hereinafter, an example of a method of using the present embodiment will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following usage methods.

  The elevating device A of the present embodiment is installed in a bathtub Ba with the bellows 21 of the expansion / contraction member 2 contracted, for example, as shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 4, when water is supplied from the faucet WF, the water is supplied to the bellows portion 21 through the flow pipe 3. The water supplied through the flow pipe 3 is sent to the filling portion F of the bellows portion 21 via the flow port P of the expansion / contraction member 2. When water is supplied to the filling portion F, the bellows portion 21 gradually extends from the state of FIG. 4 toward the state of FIG. In the process of expanding the expansion / contraction member 2, the valve portion SV is in the closed state, and no water is discharged to the discharge portion 41a side.

  When the bellows portion 21 extends, the seat portion S rises, and the guide member 42 rises along the support member 6. Water is further supplied to the filling portion F of the expansion / contraction member 2, and the seating portion S rises to near the edge E of the bathtub Ba, and reaches a predetermined rising position where the user can sit. At this time, when the supply of water from the faucet WF is not stopped, the seating portion S exceeds the predetermined ascent position, and the expansion and contraction member 2 enters the predetermined expansion state described above. Here, the "predetermined ascending position" is a position where the seating portion S is ascended and the user can sit on the edge E of the bathtub Ba, and is at the inoperative position of the guide member 42 described above. Refers to position.

  In the process of expanding and contracting member 2 reaching a predetermined expanded state, as shown in FIG. 6, after the upper end of guide member 42 abuts on abutting portion L1 of operating portion L, guide member 42 as shown in FIG. The member 42 moves further upward, and the upper end of the guide member 42 presses the contact portion L1 upward, thereby rotating the operation portion L clockwise about the rotation axis Ax in the figure. As shown in FIG. 7, when the operation part L is rotated by the guide member 42, the valve part SV is operated so as to open the communication port C by the valve operating part L2, and the switching part 41b is shown in FIG. From the closed state to the discharge state shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the valve portion SV opens the communication port C, the closed communication pipe 3 and the discharge section 41a communicate with each other, and as shown in FIG. The water inside is discharged from the discharge port D via the discharge part 41a. By discharging the water from the discharge port D, the user can easily know the timing of stopping the supply of the water from the faucet WF.

  As described above, even if water continues to be supplied from the faucet WF to the expansion / contraction member 2 after the expansion / contraction member 2 enters the predetermined expansion state, the water in the flow pipe 3 causes the discharge portion 41a to be discharged. It is discharged to the outside via Therefore, the supply of an excessive amount of water to the inside of the expansion / contraction member 2 is suppressed, and the bellows portion 21 of the expansion / contraction member 2 is plastically deformed by the excessive amount of water, or the bellows portion 21 and the upper end and the lower end are displaced. The joint between the side closing parts 22 and 23, the joint between the communication pipe 3 and the joint J, the connection between the communication pipe 3 and the communication port P, the communication pipe 3 and the faucet WF. It is suppressed that a joint part between them is damaged. Further, when the filling amount regulating mechanism 4 is configured such that the amount of supplied water and the amount of discharged water are the same, an excessive amount of water is supplied to the expansion / contraction member 2. After the guide member 42 moves to a position where it does not further rise, deformation of the joint between the guide member 42 and the support member 6 due to the fact that only the expansion / contraction member 2 continues to extend can be suppressed.

  Further, when the water is discharged from the discharge port D of the discharge portion 41a, for example, when the supply of water from the faucet WF is stopped, the expansion / contraction member 2 is in an appropriate expanded state, and the seating portion S and the guide member 42 , Descends to a predetermined ascending position slightly lower than the height in the predetermined inflated state. When the seat portion S and the guide member 42 descend, the state of FIG. 7 changes to the state of FIG. 6, and the operation of the operation portion L operated by the guide member 42 is released, so that the valve portion SV is shown in FIG. Thus, the communication port C is closed to be in a closed state. Therefore, when excess water in the expansion and contraction member 2 is discharged, the valve portion SV closes the communication port C, and the seating portion S is maintained at a predetermined raised position shown in FIG. You. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the guide member 42 is moved up and down with respect to the support member 6 and the guide member 42 rises to a predetermined position, the operation unit L is automatically operated, and the guide member 42 is moved to a predetermined position. When the operation unit L is released to the position (predetermined ascending position), the operation of the operation unit L is released, so that complicated operation or the like is not required in the elevating device A, and the seating unit S can be maintained at the ascending position with a simple configuration. it can. Further, no electric power is required for maintaining the seating portion S at the raised position, and the raised position can be controlled by a mechanical mechanism. Therefore, the elevating device A can be used safely even in a place using water such as the bathtub Ba.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since water is discharged to the outside based on the height of the guide member 42 after the expansion of the expansion / contraction member 2, a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the expansion / contraction member 2, A control unit or the like for controlling the flow rate based on the measured value is not required. In addition, the elevating device A of the present embodiment maintains the seating portion S at the ascending position based on the height of the guide member 42 regardless of the pressure applied to the expansion / contraction member 2, so that the user who sits on the seating portion S The user is not affected by the weight of the user, and even if the users have different weights, the seating portion S can be similarly maintained at the raised position.

  When the expanding / contracting member 2 extends and the seating portion S is in the raised position (see FIG. 6), the user can sit on the seating portion S. When the user is seated on the seating portion S and the preparation for bathing is completed, the water of the filling portion F of the expanding and contracting member 2 is made drainable in order to contract the expanding and contracting member 2 and lower the seating portion S. The discharging means for discharging the water at this time is not particularly limited. For example, in this embodiment, the water in the filling portion F is discharged using the manual member 7. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the lever 71 of the manual member 7 is operated, in FIG. 8, the manual member 7 rotates clockwise from a position indicated by a two-dot chain line as indicated by a solid line. , And rotates about the rotation axis Ax2. The protruding piece 72 provided on the manual member 7 rotates clockwise together with the lever 71, and the rotation of the protruding piece 72 causes the manual member contact portion L3 of the operating portion L to come into contact with the protruding piece 72, and The contact L3 is pushed down. Accordingly, the operation unit L is operated such that the valve unit SV opens the communication port C, the operation unit L is operated in conjunction with the operation of the manual member 7, the switching unit 41b is in the discharge state, and 3 communicates with the discharge unit 41a. As shown in FIG. 9, the water in the expansion / contraction member 2 is discharged from the discharge port 41a of the discharge section 41a by the load on the bellows section 21 such as the weight of the seating section and the arm section and the pressure due to the weight of the seated user. And the seating portion S is lowered. In this embodiment, since the manual member 7 is provided separately from the operation unit L, the manual member 7 can be easily operated as compared with the case where the operation unit L is integrated with the manual member. That is, since the operation unit L is operated by the guide member 42, it is difficult to operate the operation unit L when the operation unit L is integrated with the manual member. On the other hand, when the manual member 7 is separate from the operation unit L as in the present embodiment, the operation is easy, so that the water can be easily discharged.

  In the present embodiment, both the discharge of water when regulating the filling amount of water into the expansion / contraction member 2 and the discharge of water when lowering the seating portion S are performed using the same valve portion SV and the discharge portion 41a. It can be carried out. Therefore, the device configuration of the lifting device A can be simplified, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  When the seat S is lowered to a predetermined position as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the discharge of water is stopped. As a result, the user enters a bath. When finely adjusting the height of the seating portion S, the seating portion S is raised by supplying water from the faucet WF, and the seating portion S is lowered by operating the manual member 7. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the position of the seating portion S in the elevating direction during the bathing of the user. In particular, if the filling amount regulating mechanism 4 is configured so that the size of the opening of the communication port C can be adjusted by the manual member 7, it is easy to finely adjust the position of the seating portion S in the elevating direction.

  When the user finishes bathing, water is supplied from the faucet WF to the expansion / contraction member 2 via the flow pipe 3 to raise and lower the elevating device A again from the state of FIG. S is rotated to the state shown in FIG. 5, and the user is moved out of the bathtub Ba. Thereafter, in order to clear the lifting device A, the expansion / contraction member 2 is contracted again from the state of FIG. 5 to the state of FIG. When the expansion / contraction member 2 is contracted, the expansion / contraction is performed by operating the manual member 7 or removing the discharge plug if the lower end side closing portion 22 of the expansion / contraction member 2 is provided with a discharge plug. Water is discharged from the filling portion F of the member 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Expansion / contraction apparatus 2 Expansion / contraction member 21 Bellows part 22 One end side closed part (lower end side closed part)
23 Other end side closed part (top end closed part)
3, 31, 32 Flow pipe 4 Filling amount regulating mechanism 41 Discharge member 41a Discharge section 41b Switching section 41c Switching chamber 42 Moving member (guide member)
Reference Signs List 5 mounting member 51 switching part mounting part 6 support member 7 manual member 71 lever part 72 protruding piece A elevating device Ar arm Ax, Ax2 rotating shaft Ba bathtub C communication port D discharge port E bathtub edge F filling part H1 handle H2 back Rest I Inlet J Joint part L Operation part L1 Contact part L2 Valve actuation part L3 Manual member contact part M Mountain part P Distribution port S Load support part (seating part)
SP spring SV valve V trough W bathtub wall WF fluid supply mechanism (faucet)
X Expansion / contraction member axis

Claims (5)

An expansion and contraction member capable of changing between expansion and contraction by filling and discharging a fluid into the inside,
A flow pipe connected to the expansion / contraction member and supplying the fluid to the inside of the expansion / contraction member;
When the inflation and deflation member reaches a predetermined expanded state, a filling amount regulation mechanism for regulating the supply to the expansion and contraction member of said fluid, with expansion and contraction device having the expansion of the expansion and contraction member and An elevating device for elevating the elevating target by contraction, wherein the elevating device is
Increasing by expansion of the expansion and contraction member, falling by contraction, comprising a load support portion provided on the upper portion of the expansion and contraction member ,
The filling amount regulation mechanism,
A discharge member attached to the flow pipe,
A moving member that moves with a change in the volume of the expansion / contraction member,
The discharge member is capable of switching between a discharge part capable of discharging the fluid in the flow pipe to the outside of the flow pipe, a discharge state in which the discharge part discharges the fluid, and a closed state in which the discharge part is closed. A switching unit,
The moving member operates the switching unit when the expansion and contraction member is in a predetermined expansion state to set the discharge unit to the discharge state, and when the predetermined expansion state of the expansion and contraction member is released. Release the operation of the switching unit to put the discharge unit in the closed state ,
The switching unit has an operation unit operated by the moving member, and a valve unit that is opened and closed by the operation unit,
The switching unit is located on a side of an upper end side of the expansion / contraction member when the expansion / contraction member enters the predetermined expansion state, and the moving member is provided on an upper end side of the expansion / contraction member,
The operation unit is provided so as to be positioned on a movement path of the moving member, and when the expansion / contraction member enters the predetermined expansion state, the moving member operates the operation unit to switch the switching unit. The elevating device that operates . The lifting device according to claim 1, further comprising a manual member capable of manually switching the switching unit. The lifting device,
A support member extending over the elevating direction,
The inflation and deflation and lifting with the expansion and contraction of the member, having a guide member for guiding the vertical behavior of the inflation and deflation member by sliding along the support member, to claim 1 or 2 The lifting device as described . The expansion member is installed in the bathtub so as to expand and contract along the wall portion of the bathtub,
The lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the load supporting portion is a seating portion on which a user can sit on an upper portion of the expansion / contraction member. An expansion and contraction member capable of changing between expansion and contraction by filling and discharging a fluid into the inside,
A flow pipe connected to the expansion / contraction member and supplying the fluid to the inside of the expansion / contraction member;
A filling amount regulating mechanism that regulates supply of the fluid to the expanding and contracting member when the expanding and contracting member enters a predetermined inflated state,
The filling amount regulation mechanism,
A discharge member attached to the flow pipe,
A moving member that moves with a change in the volume of the expansion / contraction member,
The discharge member is capable of switching between a discharge part capable of discharging the fluid in the flow pipe to the outside of the flow pipe, a discharge state in which fluid is discharged from the discharge part, and a closed state in which the discharge part is closed. A switching unit,
The moving member operates the switching unit when the expansion and contraction member is in a predetermined expansion state to set the discharge unit to the discharge state, and when the predetermined expansion state of the expansion and contraction member is released. Release the operation of the switching unit to put the discharge unit in the closed state,
An expansion / contraction device, wherein the expansion / contraction device includes a manual member capable of manually switching the switching unit.

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